A Look at the Replacement Lenses Economy (INFOGRAPHIC)
There’s no end to the diverse set of options that come with the industry around eyeglass wear today. Regardless of if one is looking for a new set of prescription glasses, a new pair of sunglasses, to update their current pair of glasses, or to update an older pair, there’s now options for everyone.
A lot of this comes as a consequence of the new industry around replacement lenses. Replacement lenses allow a consumer to take an old pair of frames, prescription or not, and insert a new set of lenses inside of them. These can be prescription lenses, sunglasses lenses, tinted lenses, whatever one may need in a pair of eyewear.
Looking first at sunglasses, sunglass lenses can be added to any pair of frames in a prescription or nonprescription form. On top of this there’s also the advent of transition lenses that effectively serve as sunglasses in sunlight and normal glasses in any other context.
This means that any interesting set of frames, even those found at a vintage store or with completely outdated prescriptions, can be turned into a pair of viable sunglasses. On top of this though, and the main appeal of replacement lenses, is that the same can be done with prescription lenses.
This means that bifocals, trifocals, high-index (effectively strong prescription), and progressive lenses can all be added to any frames. There’s also the ever popular lens coatings, things like scratch-resistance, UV-resistance, fog-resistance, and blue light blocking coatings.
These are extremely effective additions that can lower some of the hassle of any pair of glasses. Interestingly though, lens tinting is also growing in popularity, not due to the aesthetic value, but due to some practical positive effects.
Brown lenses, for example, reduce eye strain in bright light. Pink frames help with depth perception and migraines, and blue lenses help with fog and reflected light. These are just a few of the colors and effects possible through tinted lenses. As a whole, tinted lenses are thought to help with dyslexia as well.
It’s also important to point out that opting to replace the lenses, instead of ordering a whole new pair of glasses, is a cheaper alternative. The options highlighted above will cost extra, but that extra cost may just be covered in the refusal to search for a new pair of frames. It’s also a much quicker process to send in a pair of frames for new lenses instead of ordering a completely new pair.
Eyeglasses can be an expensive and hassling industry to deal with, this applies to sunglasses, prescription glasses, and even contacts alike. Although it’s the creation of new alternatives and options like replacement lenses, like tinted lenses, like transition lenses, that all make it all worthwhile.
Source: LensFactory
About the Author: Brian Wallace is the Founder and President of NowSourcing, an industry leading infographic design agency in Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH which works with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500s. Brian runs #LinkedInLocal events, hosts the Next Action Podcast, and has been named a Google Small Business Adviser for 2016-present. Follow Brian Wallace on Linked In as well as Twitter.
